Mel Win Khaw

Columbia University

The neural dynamics behind aesthetic appreciation

2017-2018: Spring

Mel joins the academy as a specialist in judgment and decision making who is interested in empirical aesthetics. Mel received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from NYU where he studied how neural mechanisms can explain biases in our everyday decisions. Since then, Mel has conducted similar projects at the Department of Economics at Columbia University studying various aspects of economic decision making. In the arts, Mel is a regular performer with the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers and an avid vernacular jazz dancer. Currently, Mel aims to combine his interests in the arts and sciences with the study of aesthetics. Mel's latest projects will explore how different sequences (e.g., song structure, choreography, etc.) can encourage or suppress aesthetic appreciation.